(1/25/00)
"And what is the Priesthood? It is nothing more nor less than the
power of God delegated to man by which man can act in the earth for
the salvation of the human family, in the name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Ghost, and act legitimately; not assuming that
authority, not borrowing it from generations that are dead and gone,
but authority that has been given in this day in which we live by
ministering angels and spirits from above, direct from the presence of
Almighty God, who have come to the earth in our day and restored the
Priesthood to the children of men, by which they may baptize for the
remission of sins and lay on hands for the reception of the Holy
Ghost, and by which they can remit sin, with the sanction and blessing
of Almighty God." — "Conference Report," October 1904, p. 5
(1/26/00)
"While it may be said, and it is in a measure true, that we are but a
handful in comparison to our fellow men in the world, yet we may be
compared with the leaven of which the Savior spoke, that will
eventually leaven the whole world." — "Conference Report," April 1909,
p. 2
(1/27/00)
"When the Lord wants to reveal something new to us, He knows the
channel through which to reveal it; He knows that He can do it, and He
will do it in His own way and time, and through the proper channels of
the Priesthood. Don't forget that!" — "Conference Report," October
1909, p. 125
(1/28/00)
"I want to state here that which is in my heart. You may call it a
prophecy if you will. Those who are and continue to be enrolled in the
book of the law of the Lord--on the tithing records of the
Church--will continue to prosper, their substance will increase, and
they will have added unto them in greater abundance everything that
they need;..." — "Conference Report," April 1901, p. 70
(1/29/00)
"Let us guard ourselves so that there may not come into our souls a
single drop of bitterness, by which our whole being might be corroded
and poisoned with anger, with hatred, envy and malice, or any sort of
evil. We should be free from all these evil things, that we may be
filled with the love of God, the love of truth, the love of our
fellow-men, that we may seek to do good unto all men all the days of
our lives, and above all things be true to our covenants in the gospel
of Jesus Christ." — "Conference Report," April 1909, p. 6
(1/30/00)
"I desire to say that Mormonism, as it is called, is still, as always,
nothing more and nothing less than the power of God unto salvation,
unto every soul that will receive it honestly and will obey it. I say
to you, my brethren, sisters, and friends, that all Latter-day Saints,
wherever you find them, provided they are true to their name, to their
calling and to their understanding of the Gospel, are people who stand
for truth and for honor, for virtue and for purity of life, for
honesty in business and in religion, people who stand for God and for
His righteousness, for God's truth and His work in the earth, which
aims for the salvation of the children of men, for their salvation
from the evils of the world, from the pernicious habits of wicked men
and from all those things that degrade, dishonor or destroy; or tend
to lessen the vitality, and life, the honor, and godliness among the
people of the earth." — "Conference Report," April 1910, p. 5
(1/18/01)
"The spirit of the gospel leads men to righteousness; to love their
fellowmen and to labor for their salvation and exaltation; it inspires
them to do good and not evil, to avoid even the appearance of sin,
much more to avoid sin itself. This is indeed the spirit of the
gospel, which is the spirit of this latter-day work, and also the
spirit that possesses those who have embraced it; and the aim and
purpose of this work is the salvation, the exaltation, and the eternal
happiness of man, both in this life and in the life to come." Joseph
F. Smith, "Conference Report," Apr. 1909, p. 4
3/25/03
"Amidst the greatest learning that the world has ever seen, we have
seen the greatest perishing the world has ever seen, and our greatest
learning has been utilized for the destruction of God's children. 'But
to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God.'
Again, no man receiveth the fulness of truth-no man may be truly
educated-except he keep the commandments of our Father in heaven." — Joseph
F. Smith, "Conference Report," April 1946, p. 62
(8/18/03)
"What should we do before partaking of this sacrament? We should look
into our souls and see whether we have any unforgiveness there toward
any of our fellow creatures, especially toward any of the household of
faith. Have you any bitterness in your heart toward your brother or
your sister, or any of mankind? If you have, remove that bitterness
and repent of the weakness by which that bitterness has found a
resting place within you, and remove it from your heart. Harbor it not
in your spirit; for it is evil. It corrupts us to allow the spirit of
hatred or animosity to find a resting-place in our souls. Therefore we
should not partake of this sacrament with such feelings in our souls.
We should forgive those who trespass against us. We should make peace
with our brother and with our sister and with all mankind, and
establish peace in our hearts, so that when we come to the house of
God to partake of the sacrament we may do it with clean hands and pure
hearts before the Lord." — Joseph F. Smith, July 16, 1893, "Collected
Discourses, 1987-1992," 5 vols., Stuy, Brian H., ed., Burbank,
California, and Woodland Hills, Utah: B.H.S. Publishing
(12/5/03)
"Charity, or love, is the greatest principle in existence. If we can
lend a helping hand to the oppressed, if we can aid those who are
despondent and in sorrow, if we can uplift and ameliorate the
condition of mankind, it is our mission to do it, it is an essential
part of our religion to do it." - Joseph F. Smith, "Conference
Report," April, 1918, p. 4
(5/18/04)
"Brethren, there is too little religious devotion, love, and fear of
God, in the home; too much worldliness, selfishness, indifference, and
lack of reverence in the family, or it never would exist so abundantly
on the outside. Then, the home is what needs reforming. Try today, and
tomorrow, to make a change in your home." - Joseph F. Smith, "Worship
in the Home," Improvement Era, December 1903, p. 138
(8/20/04)
"Jesus taught the doctrine that we should pray for those that
despitefully use us; that we should love our enemies; that we should
do good to them that do evil to us; that we should not return evil for
evil, but good for evil. There is no particular credit due to any
person who returns good for good. Even the publicans and sinners did
this, but it is somewhat difficult to return good for evil.
Nevertheless to do so was enjoined by the commandments of the Lord
Jesus. We are to love our enemies; do good to them that hate and
persecute us; and when we are persecuted, persecute not again; when we
are derided, deride not in return; if we are injured, seek not to
injure those who injure us; that which is required at our hands is to
establish peace on earth and good will to man. Hence, when we forget
the object of our calling and step out of the path of duty to return
blow for blow, to inflict evil for evil, to persecute because we may
be persecuted, we forget the injunction of the Lord and the covenants
we have made with God, to keep His commandments." - Joseph F. Smith,
"Journal of Discourses, 26 vols." [London: Latter-day Saints' Book
Depot, 1854-1886], 23:285-286
(10/6/05)
"So I come to the conclusion that
the principal thing about tithe paying is obedience to the law, and
that more good will come to us through that obedience than to
anybody else. We may be worth our tens of thousands, and pay an
honest tithing on our income, making our tithing a large amount; yet
the good that will come to ourselves by being obedient to the law of
God will be far greater in the end than the good which our substance
may do to the poor. He is more blessed who giveth alms than is he
who receiveth them. The trouble is, when a man becomes rich he at
once begins to feel too poor to be obedient to the laws of God.
Riches make men poor when it comes to dealing with the Almighty." -
Joseph F. Smith, "Conference Report," April 1899, Afternoon Session
(10/13/05)
"Will this time ever be? While
surrounded by so many imperfections, clothed in mortality, and subject
to the weakness and failings of the flesh, will the time ever be when
we as a people, with such glorious promises, privileges and rights,
and with such inestimable blessings, shall enjoy the Spirit of God to
the exclusion of every other influence that exists? Will we ever be
able to enjoy the Spirit of the Lord, while in mortality, to such a
degree that we can govern ourselves and not give way one moment to an
evil thought or passion. I do not know; but this I do know, that we
now have all that is necessary to enable us to attain to this
perfection in the truth and the knowledge of God. If we have it not
now, I do not believe we ever will. 'Why,' inquires one, 'what have we
now?' We have the promise of Almighty God that he will give his Spirit
to guide, strengthen and assist every individual to accomplish all the
good in his heart, if he will only come up to the standard he has
established." - Joseph F. Smith, "Journal of Discourses," 26 vols.,
11:308
1/28/06
"It is an important duty resting upon the Saints who vote to
sustain the authorities of the Church, to do so not only by the lifting
of the hand, the mere form, but in deed and in truth. There never should
be a day pass but all the people composing the Church should lift up
their voices in prayer to the Lord to sustain His servants who are
placed to preside over them.... These men should have the faith of the
people to sustain them in the discharge of their duties, in order that
they may be strong in the Lord." - "Teachings
Of
Presidents Of The Church: Joseph F. Smith," p.210
1/10/07
"The essence of true membership in
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is this—that you and I,
independent of every other person in the world, will live our religion
and do our duty, no matter what other people do. As Joshua expressed
himself in olden times, 'As for me and my house, we will serve the
Lord.' (Joshua 24:15.)
The true measure of our standing in this Church is that we will do
right, no matter who else does right or does wrong. Therefore let us
seek to get that spirit upon us and live by that rule." - Teachings
Of Presidents Of The Church: Joseph F. Smith, p.416
3/26/07
"Fix in your minds noble thoughts, cultivate elevated themes, let your
aims and aspirations be high. Be in a certain degree independent; to the
degree of usefulness, helpfulness and self-reliance, though no human
beings can be said truly to be independent of their fellow beings, and
there is no one reckless enough to deny our utter dependence on our
heavenly Father. Seek to be educated in the highest meaning of the term;
get the most possible service out of your time, your body and brains,
and let all your efforts be directed into honorable channels, that no
effort shall be wasted, and no labor result in loss or evil." -
"Teachings Of Presidents Of The Church: Joseph F. Smith," p.313
5/8/07
"I would not like to say one thing,
or express a thought that would grieve the heart of Joseph, or of
Brigham, or of John, or of Wilford, or Lorenzo, or any of their faithful
associates in the ministry. Sometimes the Lord expands our vision from
this point of view and this side of the veil, that we feel and seem to
realize that we can look beyond the thin veil which separates us from
that other sphere. If we can see by the enlightening influence of the
Spirit of God and through the words that have been spoken by the holy
prophets of God, beyond the veil that separates us from the spirit
world, surely those who have passed beyond, can see more clearly through
the veil back here to us than it is possible for us to see to them from
our sphere of action. I believe we move and have our being in the
presence of heavenly messengers and of heavenly beings. We are not
separate from them. We begin to realize more and more fully, as we
become acquainted with the principles of the Gospel, as they have been
revealed anew in this dispensation, that we are closely related to our
kindred, to our ancestors, to our friends and associates and co-laborers
who have preceded us into the spirit world. We cannot forget them; we do
not cease to love them; we always hold them in our hearts, in memory,
and thus we are associated and united to them by ties that we can not
break, that we can not dissolve or free ourselves from. If this is the
case with us in our finite condition, surrounded by our mortal
weaknesses, shortsightedness, lack of inspiration and wisdom from time
to time, how much more certain it is and reasonable and consistent to
believe that those who have been faithful, who have gone beyond and are
still engaged in the work for the salvation of the souls of men, the
opening of the prison doors to them that are bound and proclaiming
liberty to the captives who can see us better than we can see them; that
they know us better than we know them. They have advanced; we are
advancing; we are growing as they have grown; we are reaching the goal
that they have attained unto; and therefore, I claim that we live in
their presence, they see us, they are solicitous for our welfare, they
love us now more than ever. For now they see the dangers that beset us;
they can comprehend better than ever before, the weaknesses that are
liable to mislead us into dark and forbidden paths. They see the
temptations and the evils that beset us in life and the proneness of
mortal beings to yield to temptation and to wrong doing; hence their
solicitude for us and their love for us and their desire for our well
being must be greater than that which we feel for ourselves." - Joseph
F. Smith, "Conference Report," April 1916, p.3
6/30/07
"I believe that it is the intention of our
Heavenly Father to keep us mindful of Him and of His purposes, and
that one of His great designs towards us is that we shall not become
proud and lifted up in our own conceit and in our own strength and
wisdom and knowledge. I believe it is good for this people to
learn to acknowledge the hand of the Lord in everything, for He has
said that He is only displeased with those who are not willing to
acknowledge His hand in all things. It may sometimes seem
difficult to discern the hand of the Lord in the circumstances that
transpire around us; but if we will take a proper view of our
situation, and of our calling and of the nature of the work that we
are engaged in I believe that it will not be difficult for us while
we possess the spirit of the Lord to acknowledge the hand of the
Lord in all things. Surely He is supreme. He is above
us, and he is Almighty; he has all knowledge and all wisdom and He
knoweth the end from the beginning, and He has set His hand to
accomplish His purposes in this dispensation." - Joseph F. Smith,
"Perfection in the First Principles of the Gospel," Sunday, November
1, 1891
7/4/08
"The
only real danger that I foresee in the path of the Latter-day Saints
is in the results which naturally follow the possession of wealth—pride
and vanity, self-indulgence and forgetfulness of God, and a disregard
of the sacred obligations and duties that we owe to Him and to one
another; and this because of the abundance of earthly blessings which
He in His goodness has bestowed upon us. It is said that in adversity
we are inclined to feel after the Lord, but that in prosperity we
remember Him not. It appears to me that in this lies the greatest
danger that threatens us to-day."
- Joseph F. Smith, "Journal of Discourses," 26 vols., 24:174-176
9/25/08
"Did
you ever see anybody who went in debt and mortgaged and bonded that
which he possessed, as free, as independent, as happy as the man who
paid for what he had as he went along? We should live according to our
means, and lay a foundation upon which we can build, and upon which
our children can build after us, without paying interest on bonded
debts incurred by us. I am aware that I am not preaching the financial
gospel of the world. I suppose I am laying myself open to the charge
of being called a mossback, non-progressive, and so on. All these
epithets are hurled at the men that dare to tell the people to live
within their means. … Sometimes we are put in a position where it is
necessary to go into debt. When it is necessary, so may it be. … But I
have never yet been convinced that it was essential for the welfare of
the present or future generation that my children should be brought in
bondage by my acts."
- Teachings Of Presidents Of The Church: Joseph F. Smith, p.163
8/12/09
“There are limits in our recreations beyond which we cannot safely go.
They should be guarded in character and curtailed in frequency to
avoid excess. They should not occupy all, nor even the greater part of
our time; indeed, they should be made incidental to the duties and
obligations of life, and never be made a controlling motive or factor
in our hopes and ambitions.” – “Teachings
Of Presidents Of The Church: Joseph F. Smith,” p. 371
8/22/09
“It is frequently said that order
is the first law of heaven. I wish to put this in a different
light. Order in the Church is the result of obedience to the
laws of God and to the discipline which He has established among
men. My opinion is that obedience, which one of the ancient
prophets said was ‘better than sacrifice,’ is the first law of
heaven–if there can be any law called the first or above all
others. Without obedience there can be no order, no
discipline, no government. The will of God cannot be done,
either in the heavens or on the earth, except men will obey the will
of the Father. And when men obey the will of the Father, order
is the result. Confusion ceases, and peace is made to prevail,
when men yield obedience to the requirements of the Father, or to
the laws of God. Discipline is that practice which is
necessary to bring men and women into an understanding of the laws
and requirements of God; or, it is that condition which will exist
when men understand the laws of God and yield obedience to them.” –
Joseph F. Smith, Utah Stake Conference,
Sunday, April 19, 1896
9/29/09
“There
are
a great many things that we can do on the Sabbath day that would
entertain, interest, and instruct our children at home, between the
hours of service. ... Let them have amusements at the proper time, but
let them be taught better things on the Sabbath day.” – “Teachings
Of Presidents Of The Church: Joseph F. Smith,” p. 230
10/26/09
“We
are seeking to build up and to establish righteousness in the hearts
of the people, and I want to see you, as members of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, male and female, so industrious, so
active in the discharge of your duties as Latter-day Saints, so
humble, so submissive to the will of the Lord that you will not have
time to spend in magnifying the weaknesses, the follies and the faults
of your neighbors and of your fellow members of the Church. The Lord
knows there is evil enough said in the world thoughtlessly; and
without any particular intent to do wrong, but merely through the
weakness of men to talk, talk, talk and say nothing–let us work and
not talk.” - Joseph F. Smith, “Conference
Report,” October 1911, p. 10
4/12/10
"The greatest achievement mankind can make in this world is to
familiarize themselves with divine truth, so thoroughly, so perfectly,
that the example or conduct of no creature living in the world can
ever turn them away from the knowledge that they have obtained. 'In
the footsteps of the Master,' the greatest of all the teachers that
this world has ever received, is the safest and surest course to
pursue that I know of in the world. We can absorb the precepts, the
doctrines and the divine word of the Master, without any fear that the
exemplar will fail of carrying out and executing his own precepts and
fulfilling his own doctrines and requirements."
- "Teachings Of Presidents Of The Church: Joseph F. Smith," p. 39
4/23/10
"I do not want this congregation, or any of
the congregations of the Latter-day Saints, to conceive the idea, or
to entertain it for one moment, that the true and living God—the
Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ—who so loved the world that
he sent his Only Begotten Son into the world, to bleed, to die, and to
be sacrificed for the sin of the world, the Father of our spirits, he
who loves his children, is in any degree responsible for the carnage,
the bloodshed, the crime and the infamy that is today being
perpetrated because of war, or any other cause, throughout the world.
God is not responsible for it. I want you to let this sink into your
hearts and remember it. God does not design wickedness or crime in the
midst of his children, neither is he the cause of it. One of the
apostles said: 'Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of
God: for God cannot be tempted with evil; neither tempteth he any man.
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and
enticed.' The Lord God Almighty has no pleasure whatever in the
nations of the earth contending one with another and destroying
themselves. All this is contrary to the will of God, contrary to his
purposes, and contrary to his love, and to the very nature of the true
and the living God. He loveth his children; he desires them to have
life everlasting and not death. I pity the expressions that I have
heard so many times in the public print from ignorant preachers and
some poor mothers whose sons have been sacrificed at the front: 'Why
does God permit it? Why has God permitted my son to be slain? Why does
God permit the war that is existing today in all the nations of the
earth?' The answer is: Because the nations of the earth, together with
their leaders, exercise their freedom, the freedom of their agency, to
pursue their wicked course, which results in war and in the death and
destruction that is being perpetrated today throughout the nations of
the earth. The Lord has no pleasure in it, and I do not want the
Latter-day Saints to conceive the idea that God is responsible, or to
charge him with the crime of desiring the destruction of his children.
It is not true!" - Joseph F. Smith,
"Conference Report," April 1918, Afternoon Session, p. 170
7/25/10
"Brethren and sisters, Latter-day Saints, listen to the counsel of the
Lord. What matter if we be but few? If every man at this conference, if
every Latter-day Saint listening to this conference, would go out and
see to it that he made of himself a center from which went out the
testimony of the truth, we could accomplish miracles. Let no Latter-day
Saint, who has raised his hand to sustain the prophets of the Lord,
permit himself ever to depart from that instruction. Let him challenge
any faultfinding and let him champion the truth." - Joseph F.
Smith, "Conference Report," April 1945, Afternoon Meeting, p. 159
3/16/12
We are the children of
God, literally. That being the case, God's word should be uppermost in
our minds in trying to bring about worth-while government. Until we as a
people in particular, and the sons and daughters of God in general,
realize that our civil governments will be failures so long as they are
not based upon divine guidance, so long will we continue to have strife,
conflict, and bloodshed. - Joseph F. Smith, Conference Report,
October 1943, Evening Meeting, p.77
12/27/12
The new year and future
years invite the inhabitants of all lands to unite in the
establishment of peace and the realization of universal brotherhood.
Strife, enmity, selfishness, immorality are evils to be eradicated
from the individual life. No one is too lowly or insignificant to
help. Let each man love his neighbor as himself and the present
tragedies will pass away, future terrors will be averted, and "every
man in every place will meet a brother and a friend." - Teachings
Of Presidents Of The Church: Joseph F. Smith, p.399
6/25/15
It is very easy sometimes for Latter-day Saints to say, "What I do is
my own business. If I break the Word of Wisdom a little bit, that's my
business." There is no such thing as strictly private conduct. A
Latter-day Saint, in a careless moment, may perform a thoughtless act
which will stand in the way of someone else's accepting the gospel. I
know of one little branch in the mission field that had been built up
laboriously, and that little branch was all but destroyed by a
careless act of a thoughtless missionary. It is well for us to take
careful stock of any projected action, no matter how seemingly
trivial, and ask ourselves. "If I do this, if anybody sees me do this,
will it discourage his faith in the gospel of Christ?” - Joseph
F. Smith, "Conference Report," October 1945, Afternoon Meeting, p.
33
9/23/15
It is
our privilege and right to determine by the Spirit of God between
the right and the wrong, between that which will build up and
sustain the work of the Lord in the earth and that which in its
nature will tend to disintegrate and destroy or to divide the people
of God in the earth. Every member of the Church should be deeply
interested in the welfare of the whole Church. - Joseph
F. Smith, "Conference Report," October 1898, Afternoon Session
9/6/16
We have a glorious destiny before us; we are engaged in a glorious
work. It is worth all our attention, it is worth our lives and
everything the Lord has put into our possession, and then ten
thousand times more. Indeed, there is no comparison, it is all in
all, it is incomparable. It is all that is and all that ever will
be. The gospel is salvation, and without it there is nothing worth
having. – “Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith,” p.241
12/3/16
Men cannot forgive their own sins; they cannot cleanse themselves from the consequences of their sins. Men can stop sinning and can do right in the future, and so far their acts are acceptable before the Lord and worthy of consideration. But who shall repair the wrongs they have done to themselves and to others, which it seems impossible for them to repair themselves? By the atonement of Jesus Christ the sins of the repentant shall be washed away; though they be crimson they shall be made white as wool [see Isaiah 1:18]. This is the promise given to you. – “Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith,” Chapter 11
